Support for portable typewriters



Oct. 21, 19302 M. WILLIAMS i. 1,773,877

SUPPQRT FOR PORTABLE TYPEWRITERS Filed May 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 foar 21, 1930. M. l.. WILLIAMS 1,778,877

SUPPORT PoR PORTABLE TYPEWRI'PERS l Filed May 7, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FL' .2. y l

-Quan Patented oci. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES MARTIN L. WILLIAMS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, RY'LIREOT AND MESNE AS- SIGNMRNTS, To wILLIAMS-.F'RRRSR CORPORATION, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A OORPO- Y' RATION OF ILLINOIS SUPPORT POR PORTABLE' T'YPRIIIRITRRS VApplication filed May 7, 1928. Serial No. 275,883.,

The present invention relates more par ticularly to a support for protabletypewrit ers comprising in combination a typewriter vsupporting tray mounted' f or limited s'lidablel movement on adrawer which latter is adapted for slidable engagement with a suitable desk,table, cabinet, console or .the like.

The invention is particularly adaptable for useV with sO-called portable typewriters which are yrelatively small, compact, replicas of:

standardv size Vtypewriting machines In using typewriters, particularly of the .portable type, it is necessary to place them on a suitable support during use,`which generally takes the form of a convenient flat top, for 1nstance, of a table, cabinet or other similar support, it being necessary to clear away a space.

large enough to accommodate the typewriter and permit workingpapers or sheets tobe 20' laid alongsidel the typewriter. There is no means of locking or otherwise holding thev typewriter in a iiXed relative position, and in use itwillgraduallywork itself. away from the ,originalposition in which it' was placed.

rlhis is objectionable for'many reasons whichare'more or less obvious. v

Having 1n mind that in recent years the sale and use of v portable typewriters has grown to the point where alarge number of them arebe-ing used, and also having in mind certain lobjections resulting from their use at' the present time, I have perfected a novel form of support therefor comprisingvin ,com

bination a universally interchangeable supporting tray adapted to receive portable i typewriters of all sizes,makes, and shapes,

which tray isadapted for-slidable movement inta drawer resembling thel drawer of an ordi-f 40 nary desk, which drawer is itself adapted for slidablev movement in a conventional type desk, cabinet, console, table or the likevin place of the conventional drawer now occupying that space. i

The frontwall of the drawerof the present invention hasaahinge connection, thefarf rangement being such asto permit itto be droppedto a horizontal position when the drawer is in use, said front wall Vin that posi-- tion functioning to afford an auxiliary vsuptray.

, The invtaeeawin and Wide use in Hotis," clubs, Pullman cars, homes, andas a matter ofV facts in anyplace `where itis desiredto use a portable typewriter. f

Vportjforthe typewriter and.its, supportingA Among the objects ofthe present inveilltionV y are to provide a supportfor portable type'- writers comprising incoinbination auniver-r sally interchangeable typewriterl supporting trayl mounted for yslidablev movement 'inf a drawer, which latter is itself adapted fonslid- 1 able movement in va suitable table,cabinet,

console, desk or the like; to provide aconstruo'- tion of thecharacter described in which,`when l may be provided with tracks, guides, orother suitable devicesV on which andby which the f supporting tray carrying the typewriter may be guided in and out to provide in a construction ofthe ,character described. means for limiting the'outward movement of thetypewriter vand its supportingtray to prevent accidental disengagement o f thetypewriter and its. supporting tray'from thedrawer; to provide a flat lsupporting tray onwhich the type# writer rests and to which itis secured tomove '65 i not inuse, the s lidable drawer vcan be slidinto'V l 'Y acabinet, desk, console, or the like, and fromV therewith as a unityto provide means for temporarilyjlocking the typewriter in a relatively fixed position at-any 'desired point intermediate the 'length of thetrack; to Vprovide a `con'struction.in which the unit comprising the typewriter and its supporting tray may be removably mounted in thedraweriin sucha Vmanner that thetypewriter may be left permanently in thedrawer and concealed when not .in use and may bej removed and replaced at will 5 to provide a construction in which the typewritery supporting'tray is universally. applicable to portable typewriters of all makes, sizes andy designs; to provide a construction in y which the portable typewriter may be readily removable from and replaceable on said tray with a minimum loss of time and expenditure of labor; to provide a construction in which p. the typewriter and its supporting tray may be bodily removed as a unit from any drawer,or the typewriter itself may be removed from engagement with a supporting tray; to provide aB construction in which'the typewriter supporting tray' is slidable relative to the drawer, and in turn the draweris slidable into and out of a cabinet, table, desk, or the like;

.to provi de a construction which canbequickly n adapted for use in conventional desks,'cab

inets, tables, or the like, andlwhich is` exceeds.

ingly eficient in operation, economical to lmanufacture and 'installand of high utility .y hereinafter referred to. Y @ther objects, l features and advantages of .inopei'atiom and in general to provide improvements of the character hereinbefore and .thepresent invention will be more apparent VVfrom the following detailed description.' f

line out through the deskor table illustrated in Fig. -1 while it was in closed position.

-In the drawings, F ig. 1 is anelevationali. View, partly in perspective, illustrating a desk or'table equipped according to the present invention'. n 'i Fig.Y 2 is a vertical-'sectional view taken on a is'atransverse sectional view taken online of Fig. 2.

Fig-14 is a fragmentary orosssectional view illustratingin detail the snap latch for locking thehingedzfront wall Vof thev drawerfin closed position. Y Y y Y y Fig. '5 is a fragmentary view, partly in sec# tion, illustrating the means forlimitingex? cess outward movement of the typewriter and 'a its supporting tray, and also illustrating a snap latch for locking the typewriter supporttable,jdesk, console or cabinetprovidedwith the'supportinglegs 2. The element 1 may be provided with a hinged top cover 3 adapted -to be retained in a raised positionbymeans of Y the conventional support 1. While-I have` Y illustratedV the elenient'l as l:being equipped with the hinged top cover, itis obvious that itis not at all necessary for the success -of the present invention that a hingedl top cover such as 3 be employed. The element l'may present merely a fiat or other shaped top, such as illustrated at 5.' A panel 6 may be mounted -on the top cover 3 and slightly spaced therefrom to provide a space adapted to'receive stationery, papervand the like. Oppositely spaced shelf members 7 may be provided on the support 1V on which may be mounted for slidable movement relative to the support a drawer 8. lThis drawerS may have a tongue and groove engagementtor any other kind of engagement with the side shelf member 7 the element S being adapted j to slide in` and out of the support the same manner as aA conventional drawer. The drawer 8` maybe providedwith side walls 9.

slightly spaced below the stationary 'topmem-l 4ber 5 of eleirient 1 andiwithfa numberofsmall dmvefs 10 and pigeon haies ii;

'.h@ Cllwr may-.he provided with a front panel 'l2 mountedfor hinged movement relaftir/e to thev drawengfthrough the medium of Y combination hinge braces 13, which latter functionfto holdv the front' panel ini-a substantially horizontalposition-when said panel" is dropped to an open position from its normal vertical position, closing the. front ofthe drawer 8. lSuitable lugs Mina-y `be provided toV prevent the drawer-Sfrom sliding too farl out of the element 1. A conventional'snap latch 15 adapted to `be maintained inanexrtended positionby-means of the spring 16 may be carried by the panel 12, said latch being adapted Vwhenthepanelfis in'ciosed position to engagea suitable indentation inl the lower surf-ace of the stationary top mem-- beren (lneormore hand'knobs'17may-be providedaon the panel 12.A Y 1- Y 1 As afeature of the present invention,

spacedopposite parallel channelledtrack orf guidemembers 18 may be mounted upon the base ofthe drawer The. guidesor tracks 18 l are adapted for sliding-interlocking relation-` ship through lthey medium4 of-angular mein-- bers 19 with a' typewritercarrying tray 20 upon-which may bemounteda por-table type# writer 21 thearrangement being such vthat. the typewriterv and its supporting ytray vare Vslidable as a unit on thetracks' or guides 18.4- f

An upstandingv lugV 22 adapted to beengaged by-a projecting lug 23 carried by one or both ofthe angular members 19 may project from one or both ofthe tracks or guides 18 to limit theoutward movement of the typewriter and its supporting tray, thus prevent-f ing excess outwardmovement.

A. conventional snap latch 24gmounted on a. pin 25 Vslidably carried by the b racket23V maybe maintained ini extendedposition bygafY spring 26 whereby saidlsnaplatch may Y engage any one of a number of spaced indentationsdisposed along the length of one or botliof thetracks or giiides'18`1r3o lock the A' typewriter and its supporting tray in relatively iiXed positionv when thetypewriter is slid outwardly for use. VV'In' the `utilization of' the device, assumev that4 thestructure illus*- Y trated in FigQl is in closed position, that is, K Y thedrawer 8 has been slid into the element 1 andthe front panel closed.` In this description it will be assu'med'that the typewriter is concealed vwithin-.the element/*1;V giasp'f` the pivoted braces 13 maintaining said panel in horizontal position. The drawer 8 is then slidably pulled outwardly, for instance, un-

til the lugs lll engage each other.

It might be well to here point out that while I have illustrated these lugs 14C they are not at all essential in carryingout the invention, as in normal operation the drawer 8 would not normally be pulled out too far. The typewriter supporting trayV provided with a handle 2.7' may be then slid outwardly until the snap latch 24 engages .in one of the indentations on one or both of theguides or tracks 18. It is not possible to pull the support out too faron account of the' fact Vthat the lugs 23 and 22 will Contact, thus preventing further outward movement. `The typewriter is now in position to be'used.

It will be noted that the drawers 10 and pigeon holes 11 are preferably carried bythe drawer 8, hence they will be'within easy reach of the typewritervuser. It'isalso to be noted that the inner face of the panel 12. is

provided with metal strips 28 whi'chfare in effect elongations of the track'or guide 18, and M as a feature of the present invention it is lalsov to be noted that this front panel 12 in open position functions as asupport for the front end of the typewriter.

I/Vhen it is desired to slide the typewriter back into the'element l, the foregoing operation is reversed.

As pointed out heretofore inthe objects Y of the invention, the typewriter supporting tray is universally interchangeable for any type, size or design of typewriter. n The invention may be carried out by mounting the typewriter on the typewriter supporting tray and thereafter concealing the typewriterl in the element 1 when not 1n use, or the `invention is equally applicable to use in situations Y where users have their own typewriters which they carry from place to place. Y The typewriter supporting tray 20 being universally interchangeable can he used with equal facility with diiferent makes' and sizes of typewriters. VVhen it is desired to entirely retray.

invention is that the assembly comprising the slidabledrawer 8 and slidable tray 2O may ybe disposed on either or both sides of the y One of the main advantages of the present l be readily mounted in conventional desks, y

cabinets, tables, or the like, to replace conventional types of drawers, or the entire assembly, including the element 1, -may be manuc factured and sold as a unit. I have illustrated the panel 12 as being vertically disposed in closed position to close the front of the drawer and-keep out dust, thus making the part holding the typewriter dust-proof.l It is obvious, of course, that this movable panelmay be swung underneath the base of the drawer 8 in closed position, in which-event the front of the drawer wo-uld be open, or it maybe dispensed with altogether,.in which event the front of the drawer 8 would kbe open, and the front edge of the typewriter support tray 20 could not withsafety be pulled out any further than' the front edge of the base of the drawer'8. u Y

I claimas my invention:

In combination, anelement provided with a guide track on the upper surface thereof,

.and aisupporting tray mounted for limited slidablef movement in said guide track and T rel'ative to said element, said element com- `prising a drawer having a movabley front panel adapted, when 'the tray is slid outwardlyon said guide track, to be dropped to a f horizontalposition to act as a. partial sup- Y Vport for saidtray, and means for locking the tray in a desired position upon the said element, said means comprising a spring op- Y l erated pin carried by the tray, the guide track being provided with a plurality of indentations with which the pin is adapted to cooperate. Y

In testimony Vwhereof I affix my signature.

kMARTIN L. WILLIAMS.

move the typewriter supporting tray 20, the

Y bracket holding'the lug 23 may beremoved,

f or both of the tracks and sides of the tray.

It is also obvious that the snap latch 24may 

